Dear Blake Families:
With June now upon us, it feels as though summer is officially 'knocking on our door'. I hope that everyone enjoyed some down time as we start to look ahead at the final push. We enjoyed an especially busy weekend - kids' sports, piano recital, birthday parties, and our neighbor's high school graduation - wow! It was such a treat for us to celebrate her graduation as she looks ahead to college. It really feels like yesterday that their family welcomed us to the neighborhood back in 2001 with a plate of brownies.
I would like to extend a thank you to the entire Blake community for supporting the Blake mini-marathon, a special day that has certainly been woven into the Blake fabric as an annual tradition. Special thanks go to Jeff C. and Kelly D. for their leadership with this event and to Tricia for always looking out for our well-being. The time that was taken for this event is one of the many endeavors that I believe will produce great memories for our students and help to foster a sense of community and learning beyond the academic realm. It really speaks to the environment that we both want and have for our students. Thank you.
With this sense of 'environment' in mind, I am sharing three posts this week that speak to the importance of establishing a 'space' for learning and growth to take place...
Bob Dylan on Sacrifice, the Unconscious Mind, and How to Cultivate the Perfect Environment for Creative Work
post by Maria Popova
This post by Popova is based on Paul Zoll's 1991 interview with Bob Dylan. As a lifelong admirer of Dylan's work and music, I enjoyed reading his perspective and reflection on the topic of creativity.
"For me, the environment to write the song is extremely important. The environment has to bring something out in me that wants to be brought out. It’s a contemplative, reflective thing…"
"Environment is very important. People need peaceful, invigorating environments. Stimulating environments."
A Place for Learning: The Physical Environment of Classrooms
by Mark Phillips in Edutopia
This post outlines the effect that the physical environment of schools and classrooms have on the learning process.
"If you're a teacher, you spend a good part of your life in places that should feel more like a warm home than a cold, impersonal office building or warehouse. So consider increasing your own sense of well-being and motivation as much as increasing these qualities for your students."
The Best App for Monitoring Students
Carl Hooker is the Director of Instructional Technology at Eanes Independent School District in Texas and is a tremendous resource for educational technology. He has a wonderful sense of humor and I have had the good fortune of hearing him speak at conferences and on webinars. For those of you on Twitter, he is worth following! I enjoyed this post from a few months back as he refers to advice he gave to one of the teachers in his district who was looking for a 'monitoring app' for students on iPads. He refers to the '2Eyes App' and '2Feet App' as the best tools for keeping watch and control. With the wonderful infusion of iPads into the Blake experience, Carl's post speaks to what we have embraced - the technology must be purposeful and beneficial to student learning, and there is simply no replacement or substitute for excellent teaching.
As we look ahead to the reality of being a 1:1 mobile learning environment next year, I view it as an opportunity to take a step back and re-examine if the physical space for learning is in line with our goals. In other words, is the physical space that we have going to help our students, staff, and community to work towards the Blake mission statement? I encourage everyone (including myself) to think creatively and be open to the idea of change and 'student voice' as we make this exciting transition.
Please click here for Blake Updates.
Please click here for Thursday Packet Information.
Take care.
Nat Vaughn